Young Canadians in a Wired World - Phase III: Life Online

Life Online
January 2014
Young Canadians in a Wired World – Phase III: Life Online
© 2014 MediaSmarts

Online Access

Young Canadians in a Wired World – Phase III: Life Online © 2014 MediaSmarts

Online Access
In 2013, MediaSmarts conducted a national
survey of 5,436 Canadian students, grades 4
through 11, in every province and territory, to
explore the role of networked technologies in
their lives.

Life Online is the first in a series of reports which
draw on the rich data that was collected.
What does online life look like for the average
young Canadian?


Online Access
99% of Canadian
students access the
Internet outside of
school


Online Access
Connecting to the Internet outside of school: Grade
100%
Shared Desktop

90%

80%

Own Desktop

70%

Portable Computer

60%

Library or Community
Centre

50%
MP3 Player
40%
Cell / smart phone
30%
Game console

20%

Only at School

10%
0%
4

5

6

7

8
Grade


9

10

11

Online Access
Cell/Smart phone access: Grade


Online Activities

Online Activities


Online Activities
What students are doing online: Creative activities
Do you do the following things
online?

At
least
once
a day

Post a story or artwork you created
yourself Grade

At
At
At
Less Never
least
least
least
than
once once once once
a
a
a year a year
week month
3%
6%
9%
9%
11%
62%

Post a video or audio file of you doing
something (for example, singing,
dancing, how-to video) , Grade

2%

3%

8%

9%

11%

67%

Post a video you made using music or
clips you found online (for example,
fan tribute, mash-up video) , Grade

2%

2%

5%

6%

8%

78%


Online Activities
What students are doing online: Participatory/Civic activities
online?

At
least
once
a day

At
least
once
a
week

Post comments on news sites
(grades 7-11 only)

3%

4%

6%

6%

9%

71%

Send people links to news stories or
information about current events
(grades 7-11 only) Grade

4%

10%

14%

11%

12%

50%

Join or support an activist group (for
example, Greenpeace, Students
Against Bullying, Free the Children)

3%

4%

7%

10%

11%

65%

Grade

At
At
Less Never
least
least
than
once a once once a
month a year year

Online Activities

Finding information online: Gender


Online Activities
Finding information on sensitive issues online: Gender/Grades 7-11


Online Activities
Do you have an account on the following sites? Grade
100%

Facebook
Twi er

90%

Club Penguin (Gr. 4-6)

80%

Fantage (Gr. 4-6)
70%
MoshiMonsters (Gr. 4-6)
60%

PopTropica (Gr. 4-6)

50%

StarDoll (Gr. 4-6)

40%

Webkinz (Gr. 4-6)
Instagram (Gr. 7-11)

30%

Pinterest (Gr. 7-11)
20%
Tumblr (Gr. 7-11)
10%

0%
4

5

6

7

8

9

Grade

10

11

Online Activities
Advice-seeking
online?

At least
once a
day

At
least
once a
week

Ask an expert for advice about a
personal problem Grade

2%

4%

7%

7%

10%

70%

Ask kids for advice about a

2%

6%

9%

7%

9%

67%


At
At
Less Never
least
least
than
once a once once
month a year a year

Online Activities

Most frequent online activities chosen by students:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

playing online games (59%)
downloading or streaming music, TV shows or movies
(51%)
reading or posting on someone else’s social network site
(52%)
posting on the student’s own social networking site (41%)
posting on the student’s own Twitter site (21%)
following friends and family on Twitter (21%)
following celebrities on Twitter (20%)
pranking or trolling someone (20%)


Online Activities
Top Ten Websites (All students)
Site

Content

Percent of respondents

YouTube.com

Video sharing

75%

Facebook.com

Social networking

57%

Google.com

Search engine

31%

Tumblr.com

Microblogging / Social
networking
Blogging / Social
networking

Instagram.com

Media sharing / Social
networking

Minecraft.com

Gaming

8%

Miniclip.com

Gaming

7%

Hotmail.com

Email

6%

Wikipedia.org

Reference

5%

Twitter.com


24%
12%
10%

Online Activities
Top Ten Websites: Grades 4-6
Site

Boys (Grades 4-6)
Percent

Girls (Grades 4-6)

Site

Percent

YouTube.com

70% YouTube.com

61%

Minecraft.net

31% Facebook.com

22%

Google.com

27% Google.com

20%

Facebook.com

22% Webkinz.com

11%

Miniclip.com

19% MoshiMonsters.com

10%

Y8.com

9% Friv.com

9%

Roblox.com

9% Twitter.com

9%

Andkon.com

8% Poptropica.com

9%

Friv.com

7% Y8.com

8%

Twitter.com

7% Family.ca

8%


Online Activities
Top Ten Websites: Grades 7-11
Boys (Grades 7-11)

Site

Girls (Grades 7-11)

Percent

Site

Percent

YouTube.com

83% YouTube.com

77%

Facebook.com

72% Facebook.com

77%

Google.com

40% Twitter.com

43%

Twitter.com

24% Google.com

36%

Wikipedia.org

9% Tumblr.com

31%

Miniclip.com

7% Instagram.com

21%

Tumblr.com

7% Pinterest.com

10%

Reddit.com

6% Hotmail.com

8%

Minecraft.net

5% Netflix.com

5%

Hotmail.com

5% Wikipedia.org

5%


Opinions about Online Safety




Opinions about online safety: Gender


Opinions: Online safety: Grade



Despite concerns
about safety, high
percentages of boys
(90%) and girls
(89%) agree with the
statement “I know
how to protect
myself”


Parental Involvement



Are there rules about any of these in your
house?

Percentage in 2005

Percentage in 2013

Meeting someone in person whom you got to 74%
know online (2005) / Getting together with
Girls:85%
someone you met online (2013)
Boys:65%

44%

Sites that you are not supposed to visit
(2005) / Sites you are not supposed to visit
(2013)

70%

48%

Girls:74%
Boys:67%

Girls:51%
Boys:44%

Girls:52%
Boys:35%

The percentage of household rules about online activities has
declined dramatically from 2005 to 2013, most notably in rules
relating to meeting online acquaintances in person and sites you
are not supposed to visit.

Household rules about online activity: Gender



Students with
household rules
about specific
activities that
adults consider
risky are less
likely to engage in
those activities
than students
without rules


Percentage of
students “usually”
online at home with
a parent or adult
increased from
2005-2013 and the
percentage that are
“never” online at
home with a parent
or adult decreased
from 2005-2013


…But one-quarter
of students in
Grades 4-6 are
never with an adult
or parent when they
go online at home


Advice-seeking online
online?

Ask an expert for advice about a
Ask kids for advice about a

At least
once a
day

At
At least
At
Less Never
least once a least
than
once month once once
a
a year a year
week
2%
4%
7%
7%
10%
70%

2%


6%

9%

7%

9%

67%

I have learned about the following

From my parent(s)

From teachers

Grade

47%

How to search for information online

, Grade

45%

, Grade

45%

Grade

37%

How to tell if online information is true

Grade
, Grade

41%

15%

Grade

Grade

35%

24%

, Grade

39%

39%

How to deal with cyberbullying

, Grade

43%

, Grade

62%

How to be safe online
How to know what is legal and illegal to
do online

, Grade

64%

, Grade

53%

, Grade

58%

, Grade

42%

How to use privacy settings
How companies collect and use personal
information online
How to deal with hateful, racist or sexist
online information (grades 7-11 only)

Average

45%

41%

Unplugging

Unplugging


Unplugging
Sleeping with cell phone: Grade
100%
Do you sleep with the cell
phone in case you get calls
or messages in the night?
Yes

90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
4

5

6

7

8

9

Grade

10

11

Unplugging

Do you ever worry that you spend too
much time online? (All students)

Percentage

Yes

35%

No

65%


Unplugging
Feelings about having to unplug for a week: Grade
100%
90%

I would be upset/
unhappy

80%

I would be relieved/
happy

70%

I would not care one
way or the other

60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
4

5

6

7

8

9

Grade

10

11

Unplugging
Choosing to go offline: All students
Do you ever choose to go offline so you will have more time to
do any of these things?
Percentage
Spend more time with friends or people in your family

77%

Avoid someone who is harassing you

17%

Enjoy some quiet time by yourself
Read a book

, Grade

, Grade

Go outside or play a game or sport

45%
44%

Grade

Other
I never choose to go offline to do any of these things

71%
35%
4%

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